'Veep,' 'Girls' available on HBO.com: Cabler offers free peeks of new shows

April 12, 2012|Stuart Levine | Variety

HBO is casting a wide net to lure viewers to both "Girls" and "Veep," making the premiere episodes of both comedy series available to nonsubscribers.

A day after their HBO debuts, "Girls" and "Veep" will go live on HBO.com, YouTube, DailyMotion, TV.com and multiple distributors' free on-demand platforms. Also, "Veep" will be available free of charge on iTunes.

"Girls," from creator-writer-actress Lena Dunham, will launch on HBO this Sunday at 10:30 p.m. and will be seen for free April 16-May 14.

The window for "Veep," the political satire that stars Julia Louis-Dreyfus and was created by Armando Iannucci, rolls out April 23 - a day after its 10 p.m. debut - and continues with free viewings through May 21.

Pay cabler is trying to give the two half-hour skeins plenty of exposure. HBO recently canceled comedies "Bored to Death," "How to Make It in America" and "Hung" and is looking for some revitalization in the genre.